Costa Rica Seeks Support for Rodriguez as IUCN President

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000592 STATE FOR OES/PCI (LSPERLING) AND WHA/CEN (ROIS BEAL) STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID SAN SALVADOR FOR ESTOFF AND USAID SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ECON PREL CS SUBJECT: Costa Rica Seeks Support for Rodriguez as IUCN President ¶1. (U) On June 23, the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry delivered a diplomatic note seeking U.S. support for the candidacy of ex-Minister of Energy and Environment Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Echandi for the Presidency of the Geneva-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The election will be held at the October World Congress for Nature in Barcelona. Text of the note is set forth in paragraph 6. Attached biographic material was sent separately to OES/PCI. ¶2. (U) Rodriguez currently serves as the Regional Vice President (Mexico - Central America) for Conservation International and director of its regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation. He also serves as the alternate Conservation International representative to the U.S.-Costa Rica Tropical Forest Conservation Agreement's Oversight Committee. -------------- Assessment of Rodriguez' Tenure -------------- ¶3. (SBU) As Minister of Environment and Energy under the Pacheco Presidency, Rodriguez chafed against the inertia of the Costa Rican government system and enlisted the cooperation of civil society and international partners to make resources available to back policy changes. He worked closely with international NGOs to improve both Ministry and protected areas administration. Other instances were controversial -- agreements with local community organizations on national park management, for example, were voided on constitutional grounds. Policies pursued included the payments for environmental services program, in which landowners were paid to maintain their forests; use of promotion of logged timber audits with geographic information system tools; reduced sulfur context in gasoline; a pilot ethanol project; and road restrictions in central San Jose. He sought to strengthen his Ministry's hand in budget negotiations by presenting the first evaluation of the contribution by protected areas to the national economy. ¶4. (SBU) The Achilles heel of Rodriguez' tenure was the failure of his Ministry to grapple with energy issues as Costa Rica's demand pulled even with supply, leaving the Arias Administration to confront nationwide blackouts in April-May 2007, and to contract fossil fuel-powered generators to avoid a repeat in 2008, eroding prospects for a 100 percent renewable-powered electrical grid. Reform of Costa Rican water laws moved at a glacial pace and little attention was paid to garbage, air pollution and other "brown" issues. ¶5. (SBU) While an engaging, even inspiring, speaker on environmental issues and possessing a creative mind for problem-solving, Post assess that Rodriguez, as an administrator, will need a strong team to ensure implementation. He had a warm and accessible relationship with Embassy San Jose during his tenure as Minister and accepted differences with the United States over issues such as climate change, methyl bromide, pending expropriation cases and controversial oil exploration concessions in a cooperative manner. ¶6. (U) Text of Diplomatic Note DGPE/PIII-C/116/0608 (Courtesy Opening) ... and has the honor to announce that the Government of Costa Rica has decided to present the candidacy of Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Echandi to the post of President of the Council of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in elections to be held during the World Congress for Nature to be held in October, 2008, in Barcelona, Spain. Mr. Rodriguez Echandi has solid academic preparation as well as wide experience and international recognition as an energetic conservationist, both in his work with non government organizations and in public service. Costa Rica recognizes the great importance of the work of IUCN on behalf of the environment and conservation, and supports its interdisciplinary vision, and believes that this Costa Rican nomination will contribute to strengthening the program and objectives of this organization. Our government solicits the support of the Honorable Government of the United States for the aforementioned candidate. (Courtesy close) Cianchette